Recently I started teaching at __________ ISD. While I enjoyed teaching biology last year, this year it is nothing but a potpourri of anxiety, distress and physical pain which has spiraled me into a chasm of self doubt and sadness.
The problems arises in working for a school that teaches to the test (although I am sure that most schools do this, this school really dictates everything that must be said and done). Last year I taught the same subject with great results. This year it is a nightmare. What changed? Is it the students? No! teachers never quit because of the students. It is an administrative team that is rude and clueless about biology. It is working with a "team" of biology teachers who really do not care about biology. It is being told what to teach and how to teach it. Basically, if it has not shown up on the test, then do not teach it. Cut off 3 weeks from the school year, and make 6 weeks test prep. Force feed the syllabus to the students, and insult your teachers until their ears bleed. This is what it is like being a biology teacher at __________ high school. Passing rate was high but test scores were very low.
Will this teacher walk out? Imagine teaching in fear, what if you spent just that 5 minutes extra to tell the students something important about biology or to clarify their misconceptions on a topic. Teaching is not just saying it, teaching is saying it and checking to see if students understand it. For me success as biology teacher comes from having students understand the material and love the subject. Notice that I did not say regurgitate. What is happening to the world of teacher is that administrators are given too much freedom so that any teacher desiring any form of educational freedom is wiped out. We are then left with a pile of listless dummies, all waiting for orders.
I do not know but I cannot live with myself or sleep at night, doing what I do. taking the young and ready to learn human mind and poisoning it with details on how to pass a test, when we should really be helping these kids blossom. Will continue, debating if I need to stay away from that place tomorrow.